Sleigh



UNITED STATES PATENT Ortigia..A

HELVIN Il. VYILCOX, OF BAY CITY, MICHIGAN.

lstelen.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 441,729, dated December 2,' 1890.

Application filed December 16, 1889. Renewed September 25, 1890. Serial No. 366,070. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom; it may concern:

Beit known that I, MELvIN L. WILCoX, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bay City, in the county of Bay and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sleighs; and I do declare-the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in sleighs, and it pertains more especially to hand-sleighs; and the invention consists in devices for carrying wheels or rollers to be attached to an ordinary sleigh, so that the sleigh may be supported upon the said wheels or rollers or upon the runners, as desired.

The invention also consists in the combination and arrangement of the several parts and devices which are used in the constructionv oftheimprovement, which will be definitely explained..hereinafter, and pointed out in the claims of this speciication.

The objects of this invention are to provide devices for attaching rollers or wheels to a.

sleigh, so that the sleigh may be supported bythe wheels or not, as desired.

Another object is to construct and arrange devices for attaching wheels to av sleigh, whereby the wheels may be easily and quick-ly placed in position for supporting the sleigh or withdrawn from such position and retained, so that the sleigh maybe used in the ordinary way.

I illustrate the devices by Awhich these objects are attained in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure l is a side view in elevation of a sleigh containing my invention with the wheels in position for supporting the sleigh. Fig. 2 is a rear end view of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of a portion of Fig'. 1, s howng the position of the wheel-,supporting devices when the sleigh is resting on its runners. Fig. 4 is' the same with the wheels in position for supporting the sleigh. I

arepresents the runners of an ordinary hand-sleigh.

b are the knees, and c are the cross-beams.

ported upon the beams in the ordinary way, and e is a cross-piece secured to the under side of the platform CZ at any desirable point,

the center of gravity of the sleigh.

f f are brackets secured by their upper edges to the under side of the piecee, and, extending downwardly, are provided in their d is the bottom of the box or platform, suplower portions with notches g, the front' pori rear portions fZ thereof, and in the upper por- -tions 7L of the notches extending below the l tion of each bracket and directly over the notch g is arranged a vertical lslot 7e. j

Z is a supporting piece or frame placed between the brackets f, and provided on the upper portion of its ends with pivots m,pro jecting into the slots 7c, and is also provided with projections n, so located on its ends that when the pivots m m are resting in the upper portions of the slots the projections n will rest within the notches g,

0 o are portions of the supporting-piece extending below the projections n, and between these portions 0 o are journaled the wheels or rollers p, the lower portion of the peripheries of the Wheels projecting below the run` ners a when the wheels are in the position shown in Figs. l and 2.

q is a spring with one end secured to the cross-piece e or to the platform, and with its opposite end secured to the supporting-piece Z, and operates-to raise the supporting-piece to retain the pivots m in the upper portion of the slot and the projections n into engagement with the notches g. l f

" r is a lever, with its upper end pivoted to a support s, secured to the under side of the cross-piece e, and with its lower free end extending downward on the front side of the supporting-piece Z, and is provided with a curved end portion t, with the upper end of the curve beginning just above the supporting-piece,

and to the curved end which projects below thel piece Z is secured one end of the cord u, which leads upward to one of the handles n of the sleigh, where it is secured by its opposite end to a catch-piece w. ranged to slide on a bar x, which is secured to the handle fv, and is provided on its upper end portion with 'a no-tch y, and the piece fw is also provided with a projecting catch e, which engages with the notch y when the This catch-piece is ar-v IOO IOS

catch-piece is drawn to the upper portion of the bar, and projecting outwardly from the catch-piece is a handle a', so constructed as to be easily grasped by the fingers for disengaging the catch.

\ It will be noticed that when the device is in the position shown in Figs. l and 2 the wheels will project below the runners and support the sleigh, and the sleigh can then be moved over bare ground or pavement upon the wheels; but when it is desirable to rest the runners upon the snow the sleigh is tilted forward and the catch-piece is grasped by the handle and drawn upwardly, and the cord actuating the lever r to the rear brings the curved portion thereof to bear downwardly upon. the supporting-piece Z, which disengages the. portions n from t-henotcheswand the cordon bein g-further pulledupward-raises.

the wheels by turning the supporting-.pieceyl upon the pivots m inthe slots, and when the wheelsare raised to, the position shownl in.`

Fig.`3 the projection .a willbein a position to. engagewith the notchl y, which,K retains the` wheelsin this postionwith the sleigh-runners resting `upon the snow, and to.. placethe` Wheels` again; in-V position to carry the. sleigh the rear end ot the.K sleigh. isiraised, and they catch-piece is thenldrawn`- upwardly todisengage thecatch from the notch y, and thenon loosening upon. or releasing; they catch thegravity of the Wheels causes.thesupportingr piecetoturn forward and` down ward` upon its pivots,4 andthe proj ectionsnstrike the short side of the-notch, which,being-inclined moves the pivots to the lower portionof the slots 7c,

` andthe spring qfthen. raises the supportingpieceiand engages. the projections n with, the notchesg,where` they reinain until the cord is again, pulled to operatethe lever r. l

rllhis. operation of the device enables a personftopropella sleigh either on its runners. l

,brackets f, secured beneath the sleighfplatf.

or upon the wheels, andis especially desirable for useupon sleighs ar-rangedifor. carrying children, as the sleigh can be loaded within doors upon-` thebare floor when. resting upon the wheels, and the sleigh can then4 beirunover the floor or bare walks till the snow` is. reached, and then4 thewheels may be Withdrawn and the runners. then rest upon the snow inthe usual manner. Of courseit will be noticed that the* form andv construction ot thebracketsand the supporting-piece can be changed to suitv sleighs of various for1ns,wandy it is. not necessary thatI the sup` porting-piecewhichcarries the wh eels should swing.backwardly, as the cord canbe attached to aA tongue located forward of the sleiglnso as to swingthe wheels forwardly,`if desired, and; the,operating-lever can -be differently arranged, if desired, and produce the saine result, so that I. wish it understoodv that I do not limitv my invention entirely to the form and loeationof the various devices as herein illustrated and described.; andtherefore I claim as my invention the following:

l. The combination, with a sleigh, of a supporting-piece having its upper portion pivotally secured to the under side of the sleighplatform and havingwheels or rollers jour- 7o -naled to its lower free end, a catch rigidly secured to the sleigh and engaging with the ,said supporting-piece for retaining it in a 'vertical position, and a spring for engaging the supporting-piece with the catch, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with a sleigh, of a supl porting-piece pivotally secured to the under side of the sleigh-platform and capable of a vertical movementiniits pilvotalsupports, the 8o j wheels mounted onthe loweu portionoii the said supporting-piece and withE trheflcwer pon- ;tions of their peripheries projecting below theV sleigh-runners, the catches rigidly sc curedf to` the. sleigh and engaging wit .i the.` 85

supportingfpiece,whendny a. vertical. position,

a spring fory inovinglthe.supportin{ppicccatlnk wardly to engage the, saidr catches, and; de#` vices formoving the` supportingpiecedownf wardly to disengagethecatcheasllbstantially 9o ,asset forth.

3. The co1nbination,with the` sleigh, Lot the :brackets securedvon opposite sidesoi and-4 to the under side of the sleighfplatzform andF `with. each bracketprovidedi in its upper per.-. 95 i tion with. atverticalfslot andon. its lower edge 1 -with a notch,asupportingrpiecebetween-` the saidgbracket-s, providedwithwheelsjurnaled. to its lowenportion and with pivots project-` ing from they upper.i portiOIllQf. its. endsand` 10o restinginthe said; vertical, slots and, having on,the.middleportionso itsfends projections. restinginV the said notches in` the lower edges of the brackets, and a springl for holding the said projections in` engagement wiftlrthc; 1,05

notches, substantially. as set" forth.V

4. 'llhey combination,` with. ai sleigh. and the` form and providedwith the slots 7e andthe notches g, and. the supporting-piece l between 1 io the brackets, andghavingpivots m, restingfin. the slotsc,andzthefprojections n, resting inl the notches g, and provided-witlnaspring for.

j holding the projectionsn inengagement, withl rthesa1dfnotches,ofL thelevem, with itsupper 1.15

end pivotally secured to the under side of the sleigh-platform, andprovided `oniits lower free -endwitlr a` curved portiont, engagingwith the s aid supporting-piece, and devices, subf stantially as described, for operating thelew 12o 4ver to :raise the said,supportingfpieee frolma vertical to a horizontal-position, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I my signat ure-in `presence of4 two witnesses.

Marvin i.. witten.

Witnesses;`

JAS. E. THOMAS, F. A. McKay. 

